Series Made Simple

This title, ideal for student research, explores hip-hop dance in historical, political, and cultural context. The clean layout employs a large font, wide margins, plentiful color photos, and informative sidebars. Overall, this series celebrates hip-hop as the voice of urban and marginalized populations while also objectively addressing concerns such as commercialization. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

These volumes offer aspiring young entrepreneurs tips for starting successful pet- and babysitting businesses. Topics addressed include marketing; managing money; problem solving; recommended training or certification; and the importance of reliability, communication, and professionalism. Busily decorated with extraneous stock photos and doodles, the texts are nowhere near comprehensive but serve as encouraging and effective introductions. Reading list. Glos., ind.

The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and other policy changes are already affecting the accuracy of this book, but it still provides good background on important environmental issues from an international point of view; chapters touch on climate change, cleaner energy, the oceans, and deforestation. Color photos, charts, and fact boxes make for an engaging if busy layout. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Figures from Greek and Norse mythology are introduced in short illustrated chapters. Choppy texts cover the basics, but the lack of detail is occasionally odd (e.g, "Athena helped the Greeks win a war" could easily have specified "...the Trojan War"). The illustrations are a disjointed mix including stills from recent films, comic book style renderings, and classical paintings. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

This volume follows the work of Edward S. Curtis, who photographed Native American nations from the 1890s to the late 1920s. Taking into consideration Curtis's romanticized view of Native Peoples, Nardo provides a balanced portrait of Curtis's portraits and experiences. Well-reproduced black-and-white photos throughout enhance the fascinating account. Additional information on key photographs is appended. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

These books describe rocks and minerals and the STEAM concepts related to them. The one-chapter-per-STEAM-subject organization feels forced and makes for a scattershot presentation of information. Simple sentences attempt to stay accessible for new readers but sometimes lead to confusion, and the books' eye-catching photographs suffer from poor or misleading labeling. Key stats are appended. Glos., ind.

Each of these accessible titles examines the causes for and effects of an amendment to the Bill of Rights, including how the amendment came to be, how it has evolved over time, and current controversies surrounding it. The dry but informative texts are accompanied by drawings, photographs, and quotes, as well as "Fast Facts" and word definitions. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Contemporary threats to ecological systems and to the health of people, plants, and animals include natural disasters and human production of waste. These books delve deep into related science and technologies, each issue's history, and ethical considerations. Descriptions of attempts to mitigate a problem; quotes from experts; and helpful photographs, diagrams, and sidebars reinforce each problem's severity. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

This series provides general glimpses into many immigrant groups' struggles in the U.S. Each book's vignettes (with direct quotes) on real immigrants striving for citizenship and acceptance in America add intimacy and impact to the presentation; frank discussions of discrimination are included. Photographs extend the narratives. There are four other fall 2017 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.